Dravid deserves a fairytale farewell: Watson

Ajinkya Rahane came up with a crucial 70 off 56 balls while Pravin Tambe finished with excellent bowling figures of 3/10 from his four overs to help Rajasthan enter the final of the CLT20 with a 14-run win against Chennai in the semi-final encounter at the Sawai Mansingh stadium.

With the victory against the two-time IPL champions, Rajasthan registered their 13th straight win in Jaipur which includes eight wins in IPL-6 and five in the ongoing CLT20. All-rounder Shane Watson, was delighted with his team's unbeaten streak and said beating a formidable team like Chennai twice at Jaipur (1st win in the IPL, earlier this year) is special.

Speaking to CLT20.com, Watson said: "An unbeaten record here this year is just amazing. To beat Chennai Super Kings here twice over the last six months is pretty special because we know what a good team CSK is. We knew we had to beat CSK to be in the final and what better place to play them than on our home ground that we know so well."

Put in to bat in the first semi-final, Rajasthan were struggling at one stage, before a 4th wicket stand between Watson and Rahane worth 59 runs helped the team post a competitive total of 159/8. Speaking about his stand with Rahane, Watson said it was an important partnership while the Australian praised the youngster for taking the pressure off him.

"When I came out to bat, we were still going well but we knew it was important to get a partnership going. When I bat and I see that I can take someone on, and I try to score as quickly as I can. There were times when I could not get the boundaries going, but Ajinkya was able to find the boundary in that period. In the scheme of the game, it was a really important partnership that we put together."

Calling his Rajasthan colleague a highly skilled batsman, Watson said he is impressed with the youngster's intent of taking on the bowlers. "Ajinkya is a highly skilled batsman, there is no doubt about that. The intent that he is showing is just amazing. He has been batting beautifully over the last few games and has shown intent from ball one to take on the bowlers. I believe that is when he is at his absolute best. It is great to be able to see the way he is batting like that and the areas where he hits the ball."

"He has got an amazing skill to hit the ball down the ground or over cover. He plays the short ball and spin equally well. He is continuing to evolve. He has not had many opportunities with the Indian side so far, but there is no doubt that he will get another opportunity very soon," Watson added.

Watson said the first time he saw Rahane bat was during a practice game against Australia in which he "blazed his way to a century." The Australian said Rahane is as talented as Shikhar Dhawan and only needs some more time to evolve into a world-class batsman.

"The first time I saw him bat was in a tour match and he was one of the only ones who took on our quick bowlers and blazed his way to a century. He is a young guy still and he will only get better with time. Someone like a Shikhar Dhawan is maturing now and Ajinkya is as talented as Dhawan and he just needs a bit more time to evolve."

Sunday's final will probably the last time that Rahul Dravid takes the field for Rajasthan and Watson is hopeful that they can give the captain a fitting farewell.

"We would love to be able to write a script of our choice. It will be Rahul Dravid's last game and it will be such a special win if we can win the tournament for him and the franchise. Rahul has been an integral part of the Royals since the first time he came here and his legacy will always continue. But what a fitting way it will be for us to send Rahul off the way he deserves. Hopefully, the fairytale does come true for us because he certainly does deserve it."

Mumbai face off against Trinidad and Tobago in the second semi-final and when asked which team he would prefer to play against in the final, Watson said the opposition will not matter as Rajasthan will be looking at producing their 'A' game.

"No matter whom we play, we have got to be at our best. Mumbai Indians and Trinidad & Tobago are high-quality teams and honestly it doesn't really matter who our opposition is. We will just be looking to be at our best and put in another good performance and achieve success," Watson said.

Sachin Tendulkar bid farewell to Mumbai after his side gave him a fitting tribute by beating Rajasthan in the final of the World T20 League in New Delhi. The little master hinted at a future role with the Mumbai franchise.

Pravin Tambe impressed one and all with his stupendous performance in the World T20 League, ending the tournament with the Golden Wicket (The leading wicket-taker of the League). He defied all odds and his age and bamboozled the opposition batsmen with his guile and spin.